Means for depositing separated fibers of fibrous material entrained in a stream of air in a continuous layer upon a traveling surface



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Ich 26,1 A'mn Flx's vgF-rlngx-aous KATE Ans Fon Dsrosrrme sEPAn sTnEAuor' Ara 1u A coNTImJous LAYER vrou A TRAVELING SURFACE Filed -sept 1.lWA T'rs /NvE/VTOR 00. 0000 0. 0000000. 0 0 0 000 000000000000000..v0.09. 00.0.00. 00000 00000000. 00000. 00000000 0 000 00000000. 00000.0000000. 00000 0000000. .00000. 00000 0000000. ..00000 0 0000000...00000. 00000, 0000000. 000.90. 0.9.0 ...0.0. Q. VOQ. 000000. 000000000000 .000000 00000 00000000. ..00000 .0000. 0000000.. .00000. 00000..0000000 00000. 00000 .0 00000. .00000 00000 00000 00000. 00000 0000000..00000 00000. .000000. :0000.A 00000 000000. .00000 00000 000000. 0000000000. 000000. 00000. 0000 0000000 .00000 .0000. 000000. 00000 00000000000. 0000. 0000. 000000. 0000 .0000 000000. L 00000. 0000. 000000..00000 0000 0000000 ..00000 0000. 000000. 00000. 0000 000000. 0000000000. 000000. 00000.. 00.0 0000000 I v..00000 0000 000000. 000000 .000.000000. ..0000 0000 000000. 00000 0000. .00000. 00000 0000 000000..00000 0000. 0000000 .0000. .0000 000000 .00000. 0000. 000000. .00 000000 000000. 000 0 0000. 0000000 000 00000 000000. 0000 00000 000000..000 00 .0000 000000. 000 00. 00000 0000000 e0 .00 0000 000000. 0000000. 000000. 00 0000 000000. 00000 0000. .000000 .0000 0000 000000.900.0 .00 QQ 000000 0000 000000. 0000 000. 0000000 0000000..00000M0u0u0n.. 400000. 0000 ,000000000 00000000 00000000 000000..0000"00000 .00 00 00 0A 0000000000000. 0000 0000. 0 00 00000000000...00000000 000. 0 00 O. v ..w0u0w0n0n0n "0x0x0, 00000000000. 00000000000.00000 000000 Patented 26, l

UNiTEo STATES I MEANS FOR DEPOSITING SEPARATED FI- BERS F FIBBOUSMATERIAL ENTBAINED IN A STREAM 0F AIR IN A CONTINUOUS LAYER UPON ATRAVELING SURFACE Felix J. Watts, Detroit, Mich. Application September2, 1938, Serial No. 228,183 s` claims. (cms-15s) This invention relatesto improvements in a method and means for depositing separated bers ofbrous material entrained in a stream of air ina continuous layer upon atraveling at sur` face, and the inventionrelates more particularly tointerrupting and diverting the normal flow of the stream of air andentrained material prior to the removal of the air therefrom and thedepositing of the material.

Al0 It has been found in passing separated brous material entrained in astream of' air between converging belts having a continuous strip ofporous fabric traveling over the lowerbelt and the upper belt formed ofscreening, or open mesh material, the stream of air deposits the brousmaterial upon the traveling strip of paper as the air escapes throughthe upper belt, and is now employed commercially. However, as the courseof the air stream with the entrained material is 2o flattened to enterbetween the belts, the air stream does not always deposit the separatedbers in a continuous even layer throughout the traveling paper.

It is an object of this invention to provide a means and method thatwill remove this objection and provide a continuous and evendistribution of the separated bers in depositing them upon the travelingpaper.

With this and other objects in view, reference is made to theaccompanying sheetof drawings which illustrates one form of thisinvention with the understanding that detail changes may be madetherein, and that it'may be applied tov other devices without departingfrom the scope thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal central vertical section through aportion of one form of commercial apparatus, hereinbefore described,

illustrating anapplication of this invention.

Figure 2v is a top plan view of Figure 1, with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in elevation of al detailforming a part of this invention.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view in section takenA on the line 4 4, Figure2, with parts broken v away.

While this invention is shown as applied to an apparatus of commercialcharacter, it is not restricted to use in such apparatus, but may beused to great advantage whenever a gaseous uid with or without a mixtureof other material is discharged under pressure through a flattened Ilfunnel.

In the apparatus illustrated, light bers, such as kapolncotton, jute andthe like are separated from each other or uifed up in a picker machine,not shown, which delivers the separated or uifed bers into a blower, notshown, which 5 carries the separated bers entrained in the air streamfrom the blower through a pipe I to a spreading funnel 2 which conductstheuled bers entrained in the y"air stream to enter between two belts 3and 4 in the direction of the l0 ow of the air stream. 'I'he belts 3 and4 are preferably of wire mesh, or some open mesh fabric or porousmaterial, and are arranged to converge as they depart from the funnel 2.A4 continuous strip 5, preferably of light weight, l5 very porouscellulose paper is fed from a roll, not shown,'over the lower belt 3 sothat as the flow ofthe air stream carrying the entrained flulfed bersbetween the belts, traveling in the same direction and approaching eachother at 20 the far end, meets the opposition of this restrictedpassage, the air passes freely through the meshes of the upper belt 4and less -freely through the porous strip of paper traveling over thelower belt 3 and deposits the uifed bers in a layer 25 upon thetraveling strip 5 of porous paper which carries the uffed bers in alayer of even thickness away from the apparatus forVV such othertreatment as may be desired.

Ina device of this character, it is preferable 30 to form the lower belt3, bottom of the funnel 2 and bottom of the pipe I, as it joins thefunnel, in the same plane to direct the ilow of the lower strata of theair stream in a straight line as it enters and passes through theapparatus. As 35` the funnel 2 is for the purpose of spreading the airstream to enter between the belts 3 and I at a width corresponding tothe width of the strip 5 of porous paper, the pipe l is attened todecrease its height and increase its width before it 40 is connectedtothe entrance of the funnel, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The sides ofthe funnel 2 are diverged or flared outwardly to the width of the strip5 of porous paper when it reaches the belts 3 and 4.

It has been found in an apparatus of the character described that theair stream passing through the apparatus at times fails to deposit theuifed bers in a continuous even layer as open spaces occur after thefluffed bers pass 50 between the traveling belts so that the ulfed bers,after leaving the apparatus, have the appearance of islandsdepositedrupon the strip 5 of porous paper as a result of abnormalitiesoccurring in the air stream when its normal flow is. af

2 l decreased in height and increasedln auch as the formation of eddycurrents, or intermit tent vacuums.

. It has been discovered that if the now of the,V air stream as itenters the funnel is constantly 'andquickly interrupted and released, itwill ow through the wider parts of the funnel anddeposit the iluffedfibers upon the traveling strip 5 of porous paper in a continuous evenlayer. To accomplish this, a section of casing 9 is interpod between theflattened end of the pipe I and the correspondingly attened narrowentrance to the funnel 2 of the same width therewith, but preferably ofgreater height so that as the air passes below the inclined top 1 of thepipe I, it will exf- Dand within the chamber formed by casing 6. Theother end oi' the casing 9 is joined to the top of the funnel 2 by asharp incline 9 formed in the top of the casing 9. A shaft 9 is mountedin the side walls of the casing 6 to oscillate under and adjacent theinclined portion 9 of the casing 6 and mounts a vane 4III of suchdimensions that, in one position, it will be substantially perpendicularto the bottom of the casing 6 to interrupt the passage of the airstream, and upon a quarter revolution of the shaft 9, it will lieparallel to the top of the casing and release the air stream.

It is preferable to construct the vane I9 with its top and ends spacedapart vfrom the top and side walls `of the casing 6 and its bottom alsospaced apart from the bottom of the casing 6 with the bottom cornerscurved or rounded to meet the ends, as shown in Figure 4. The vane IlVis mounted `upon the shaft 9 with its top edge parallel and adjacenttol the top of the shaft 9 so that the weight of the body of the vane Iwill normally cause it to assume a position substantially perpendicularto the bottom on intake side of the casing 9 and is of suiiicient weightso. that when the shaft 9 is unrestricted, the vane will rotate from aposition shown in Figure 1 to interrupt the passage of the air streamwithout completely shutting it off.

While the vane I0 may be oscillated in any desired manner to interruptand release the iiow of the air stream, through the casing 6, it ispreferable to extend the shaft 9 from one side to pass through a bearingtherefor in a support II and mount a dog I2 upon the free end dependingparallel to the fiat surface of the vane I0. One end of a cam shaft I3is also mounted in a bearing therefor upon the support II, and mounts acam disc Il having a plurality of equally spaced apart projectingsurfaces I5, as shown in Figure 3, adapted to cooperate with the dog I2to impart an oscillating movement to the shaft 9 to cause the vane I0 toassume a position parallel to the ow of the air stream and then releaseit to interrupt the flow of the air stream alternately and successivelyinto the funnel 2. 'I'he speed of oscillation of the cam shaft I3 isregulated in accordance with the nature of the material to bedeposited-upon the strip of porous paper. A

Without the provision of the vane I9, or when the vane Il has beenoscillated by the cam I4 and dog I2 to a position parallel to the bottomof the casing 6, the normal flow of the air stream from the pipe Iwithin the funnel 2 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipe andfunnel, as indicated by the arrows A shown in Figure,v 2. When the vaneI0 has oscillated to the position shown in Figure 4, it interrupts thenormal flow and the air passes about the lower curved ends of the vaneI0 to be diverged in a direction subarcaica stantially parallel lthediverging sides of the funnel 2,- as indicated by the arrows B and C inFigure 2.V The constant and alternate changing .of the direction of theflow of the air stream within the divering 'side walls of the funnel 2causes an even spreading of the material entrained in the air stream asit enters between the belts 3 and l and results in the formation i of aeontinuouslayer of the entrained material upon the strip l, as indicatedby the line D in Figure 2. A

.what :claim 1s; 1. In an apparatus for depositing separated bersentrained in a stream of air upon a base Y strip traveling in thedirection of the ilow of the air stream including converging travelingporous belts with the base strip traveling over the-lower `belt with aattened funnel having diverging sides interposed in the air stream todirect the ow of the air stream between the belts. to deposit theentrained separated fibers' upon the traveling base strip as the airpasses through the pores of the belts, and means to insure thedepositing of a continuous layer of the separated fibers upon the basestrip including the provis sion of means upon the intake end of thefunnel to alternately and intermittently divert the normal flow of theair stream to diverge from its normal flow as it enters the funnel andwherein said last named means includes an oscillating vane formed todivert the path of the air stream to pass about its ends and follow thediverging sides of the funnel at one end of its movement.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein provision is made to continuouslyoscillate said last named means from a position to direct the flow ofthe air stream toward the sides of the funnel to a position to allow anuninterrupted ow of the air stream.

3. In an apparatus for depositing separated bers entrained in a streamof air upon a base strip traveling in the direction of flow of the airstream including converging traveling porous belts with the base striptraveling over the lower beltA with a flattened funnel having divergingsides interposed in the air stream to direct the ow of the air streambetween the belts to deposit the entrained separated ilbers upon thetraveling base strip as the air passes through the pores of the belts,and means to insure the depositing of a continuous even layer of theseparated fibers upon the base strip including a rectangular casinginterposed between and joined to the intake of the funnel and source ofthe stream of air, a shaft mounted in the sides of the casing adjacentthe top thereof transversely of the ow of air, a vane mounted to dependfrom the shaft with its lower corners cut away, and means to oscillatethe shaft to move the vane from a position parallel with the ow of theair stream to a position to obstruct the air stream and divert its owabout the cut away lower corners of the vane to diverge and follow thediverging sides of the funnel.

4. In an apparatus for depositing separated iibers entrained in a streamof air upon a base strip traveling in the direction of the ow of the airstream including converging traveling porous belts with the base striptraveling over the lower positing of a continuous layer of the separatedbers upon the base strip including the provision of means upon theintake end of the funnel to alternately and intermittently divert thenormal ow of the air stream to diverge from its normal flow as it entersthe funnel and wherein said last named means includes an oscillatingshaft extending transversely of the normal flow of the air streamcarrying a vane extending across the intake of the funnel and spacedapart from the ends thereof.

5. In an apparatus for depositing separated ilbers entrained in a streamof air upon a base strip traveling in the direction of the flow of theair stream including converging traveling porous belts with the basestrip traveling over the lower belt with a fiattened funnel havingdiverging sides interposed in the air stream to direct the flow of theair stream between the belts to deposit the entrained separated fibersupon the traveling base strip as the air passes through theypores of thebelts, and means to insure the depositing of a continuous layer of theseparated fibers upon the base strip including the provision of meansupon the intake end of the funnel to alternately and intermittentlydivert the normal now of the air stream to diverge from its normal flowas it enters the funnel and wherein said last named means includes anoscillating shaft extending transversely of the normal iiow of the airstreamv carrying a vane extending across the intake of the funnel andspaced apart from the ends thereof, said vane depending from said shaftkand having its ends curved toward its lower side.

FELIX J. WA'I'I'S.

